Sorry Won't Take Away a Mother's Fear
by WhisefoohL
Summary: Lindsey goes on a field trip, and Catherine is worried, for good reason.
1. Chapter 1

**Sorry doesn't take away fear**

**_A/N: I don't own CSI. Just borrowing with intent to return. R&R please!_**

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Lindsey and her class were headed to a field trip down town Las Vegas. Even though Catherine was reluctant to let her go, since she know what happens to little girls if they're not careful. After a reassuring from Lindsey, and her teacher, she gave in and signed the permission form.

The field trip was an overnight thing hunt. They were staying in a hotel, and it was a two day endeavor. On Friday, they would leave school at 9 a.m. and drive to the hotel. They had 7 chaperones for 15 kids, unfortunately, since Catherine had to work, she couldn't come along.

At 6 a.m. the morning of the trip, Catherine saw Lindsey off to school, and drove to work. Her stomach was in knots, and she couldn't help worrying. Lindsey knew the rules (Catherine had had a 20 minute discussion with her). When she walked into the lab, she didn't have time to fret.

"Cath, you're with Greg at a double homicide. Here's the address," Gil Grissom walked up, handing her a paper with the address. "Greg is getting coffee in the break room; you can go get him there.

"Okay." She walked towards the smell of Greg's Blue Hawaiian coffee. At least Greg might distract her enough not to worry about Lindsey. As if on cue, Greg skipped out the door, almost running into Catherine in the hallway.

"Sorry. Want some coffee? I'll share." He asked.

"No thanks. Thanks though. You want to drive?" She asked, throwing him the keys.

"Yeah! Sara never lets me drive." He started walking towards the door. Catherine laughed quietly and followed.

Once they were in the car, Greg immediately turned on the radio. Nirvana, just what he wanted to hear. Unfortunately, Catherine turned it to something quieter. Greg didn't argue, afraid of losing his driving privileges.

"You're quiet today. Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm just worried about Lindsey. She's going on a field trip. It's an overnight thing, and they are going to be walking around down town Las Vegas studying other cultures found there. I just don't want her to get hurt." She explained.

"Oh. After we're done here, we could go check up on her if you want. I'm sure Grissom won't mind." He offered.

"That's okay. She has a cell phone. I'll just call her later." They arrived at the crime scene just then, so Catherine had other things on her mind to distract her.

"Double homicide. The bodies were found this early this morning by a co-worker who was picking the husband up for car-pool. There was no answer at the door, so he walked around to look in the back door. They were dead in the kitchen when the paramedics arrived."

"Okay. Thanks" They walked in the door, looking around.

"Nice house" Greg pointed out.

"Yeah." They began processing the scene, and by the time they were done, it had been 3 hours.

They headed back to the lab to scan the prints, and run DNA samples they got.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's chapter two. Sorry about the short-ness last time. And I still don't own CSI.

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At the lab, Catherine was laying out some of the evidence they collected on the table. Her mind was back on Lindsey. She wanted to call her, but that might embarrass her. Who wants their mom checking up on them all day?

"Catherine, how's it going?" Nick walked into the room.

"Good. Do you want to help me with this?" She motioned towards the pile of trash that needed to be gone through.

"Sure. This is the double homicide?" He asked, walking over and picking up a wad of paper.

"Yeah, Greg's over at DNA running some samples we got." They sorted through the trash piece by piece, making small talk as they worked.

"How's Lindsey?" Nick asked.

"She's fine. I'm the one who's not fine. She's on a field trip. It's an over night thing, and they're out walking around down town. I just don't want her to get hurt."

"Oh. That's tough. She's growing up into a young lady, and that's gotta be tough on a mom." He said, attempting to sooth Catherine's nerves about it.

"Yeah, it really is." She picked up another wad of paper and un-crumpled it. "Thanks."

"No problem, I gotta be going. Warrick's going over some surveillance tapes from a kidnapping." Nick knew immediately that he shouldn't have said anything about 'kidnapping'. "I'm sure she's fine. Lindsey, I mean." He hurried out of there.

Catherine tried not to think about kidnapping, and hurried to finish the task at hand. When she was done, she went over the DNA lab.

"Hey Greg. Anything substantial?" She asked when Greg grabbed a printout of the results out of the printer.

"Yeah, I think we have enough to pull the co-worker in for questioning." His DNA's on a wad of gum we pulled from the trash." He answered, handing her the results.

"Nice work. I'll call Brass." They headed to the break room for some more coffee. The break room was empty, so Catherine took the couch. Greg made some coffee, and brought her a cup full.

"Thanks. I'm surprised you're sharing your special coffee." She said, taking a sip.

"This is a one time thing. Don't tell anyone." He said, sitting down on the chair.

Just then, Catherine's cell phone rang. "Willows," She answered the phone. "What?"… "How long?"… "I'll be right there."

"What was that about?" Greg asked.

"They can't find Lindsey. I have to go find her. She might be scared!" She was almost in hysterics by now.

Greg went over, attempting to calm her down. "You stay, I'll go look for her." It'll be ok. I promise."

Sara walked in right then. "Catherine! What's wrong?"

"Lindsey's missing. She went on a field trip, and they can't find her. I have to go look for her. She might be hurt!" Greg let Sara try to calm her down.

"I'm going to go look for her. I'll have Nick and Warrick get out there too. Where was she staying?"

"The Hilton Garden Inn."

"I know where that is. You stay here with Sara." He left the room. Nick and Warrick were briefing Grissom on the case.

"Guys! Lindsey's missing. She went on a field trip and they can't find her. Please come help me look for her."

"Okay. How do you want to do this? In pairs, or separate?" Warrick asked, putting down the papers he had in his hand. "What do we do with the cases we're on?"

"We can hand them off to the day shift. We'll cover more ground if we all go separately.

"Ok." They all headed out to their cars. Mean while, Sara was walking Catherine out to her car. They were going back to her place in case Lindsey found her way home, and to man the phone.

Catherine kept mumbling something to the effect of 'I knew it'.

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**_TBC_**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: here's chapter three. Enjoy**.

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Greg was driving in his car, worried. He had just tried Lindsey's cell phone, but she didn't answer. He wouldn't tell Catherine that, it would only worry her more. Just then, his cell phone rang.

"Hello?"… "She was last at the Hilton Garden Inn."… "Bye." Nick forgot to ask Catherine where he should search.

Greg couldn't understand why Lindsey would disappear like this. There is no way she would deliberately not answer the phone, or deliberately hide from everyone. The only way would be if Catherine did something to make her really mad this morning.

The phone started ringing again. "Yeah?"… "Not yet, but don't worry Cath. It'll be okay."… "Find something to take your mind off this. Like a puzzle!"

It was obvious that Catherine was really worried. Just then, he pulled up at the hotel. There were several cop cars, and chaperones walking around talking on cell phones. Nick pulled up behind him.

"Hey, it looks like they've got the building under control. Maybe I should have Warrick go drive around while you and me look around here. I'll take a walk around the block to see if there are any tempting hangouts she might be." Nick said, looking around. He seemed rather calm, but he is good at staying calm during a crisis.

"Okay. Call me if you get anything, and if Catherine calls, try to calm her nerves," Greg said. "I'm gonna head on in."

"Okay man." Nick headed back to his car. Greg went to talk to one of the adults who wasn't on the phone.

"Hey, I'm a friend of Catherine, Lindsey's mom. What do you know?" he asked. The lady eyed him suspiciously, but then softened up when she saw the genuine worry in his eyes.

"She was supposed to check in at the lobby at 4:00 but she didn't." she explained.

"Is she the only one missing?" Greg asked.

"No, there's another girl who never checked in. Her parents are over there. The two girls have been inseparable all day." She pointed to a woman behaving much like Catherine had, and a man trying to calm her down.

"What room was she in?" Greg looked up at the tall building, thinking about how many places a teenage girl could hide in there.

"400."

"Thanks." He walked into the front door, into the lobby. There were the other 13 kids on the field trip, talking animatedly about the drama that was unfolding around them.

He headed over to the elevator and stepped in. Shortly after he stepped in, a little girl from the group followed.

"Hi." She said, smiling.

"Hello, what's your name?" Greg looked down at her. "My name's Greg. Have you seen a girl named Lindsey? Do you know her?"

"My names Samantha. Yes. She's in my group. They can't find her."

"I know. I'm trying to find her. Care to help?" Greg asked.

"Sure." By this time, the elevator stopped at the 4th floor. They stepped out and went into room 400 and pushed open the propped open door. "How do you know Lindsey?" she asked.

"I work with her mom at the crime lab." He said. "Do you know what Lindsey's mom does for her job?"

"Yeah, she's a CSI. I've been over to their house once. She had to work the whole night though," Samantha said, looking behind the bathroom door. "Maybe we should look in a room where they haven't already looked."

"That's a very good idea. Maybe you should be a CSI when you grow up." Greg said, walking towards the door to the hall.

"Yeah. That'd be cool." She said, smiling. She followed Greg down the hall to the map by the elevator(I haven't been to a hotel in a while, and I don't know if they have maps, but for the sake of my story, they will).

"Do you know the other girl? The other missing one." Greg asked. Maybe if we could figure out where she was, Lindsey would be there too.

"Yeah. Allison. Her mom's a doctor."

"Do you have any idea where she might be?" Greg asked as he walked into the elevator and pressed the lobby button.

"No, I don't think so." She said, thinking. Once they got to the lobby, he pulled out his cell phone to call Nick.

"Nick. Yeah, no luck yet, but it's a big hotel. You?"… "Ok. Call me if you get anything." He snapped the phone shut and put it away. "We should start knocking on doors. We'll start on the first floor." He said to Samantha.

"I'm going to stay here. I'm getting hungry." She said looking at the other kids, who were also complaining of hunger.

"Okay. If you hear anything, come find me." Greg walked towards the hall way on his left. He knocked on the first door.

The door opened, and a middle aged man was standing there. "Yes?"

"I was wondering if you've seen two teenage girls go by here. They didn't check in, and no one has been able to find them." Greg explained.

"No, sorry. I'll keep my eyes open though." The man said.

"Thank you." The door closed, and Greg realized just how long of a day this was going to be. He went all the way up one side of the hall, and back down the other until he was at the lobby again. Nothing had changed, so he continued his way up and down the other hallway.

Just then, his cell phone started to ring. "Yeah?" He said. "Hey Warrick, no not yet. I just finished the first floor. Do you know just how many rooms there are on a floor at a hotel? No? A lot." He hung up the phone. He walked back over to the elevator so he could start all over on the second floor. The good news was that there was only 4 stories to search.

"Greg!" Samantha came running up. "I remembered something."

"What?"

"Allison's brother is staying at this hotel. Allison was going to hang out with him sometime. Maybe they went there?" she said.

"Thank you very much. I'll go check that right now." He walked back out of the elevator and over to the front desk.

"Can I help you sir?" the woman at the front desk asked.

"Yes. Could you tell me where…hold on." He turned back to where Samantha was standing. "What Is Allison's last name?"

"Mitchell."

"Thanks." He turned back to the clerk. "Where a man with the last name Mitchell is staying?"

"Hold on." She typed something into the computer. "Room 324."

"Thank you." He ran over to the elevator and stepped in. When he was headed to the third floor, his fear turned to anger. 'Why would Lindsey do this? She knew that her mom was worried, and she chose not to check in.' The door opened and he stepped out of the elevator.

He ran down the hall till he saw the room numbered 324. He knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" A man in his early twenties opened the door.

"Are you Allison's Brother?" he asked, trying to look past him into the room.

"Yes. Why?" At that point, the two girls came into view. Greg pushed past the young man and took Lindsey by the arm and pulled her out into the hall.

"You and Allison have had everyone in a panic. Why didn't you check in when you were sposed to?" Greg said. He nodded to the man and ushered Lindsey to the elevator.

"We were just watching a movie! Why are you here anyways?" she whined.

"I'm here because your mom is so worried sick that me, Nick, and Warrick all took the day off to come search for you. Not to mention all the other worried parents here." The door opened at the lobby, and when they stepped out, Greg told the nearest adult that he had both girls. And that Allison was in room 324.

Greg took out his cell phone and called Nick. "I got her. She's fine. I'm taking her back home right now." He closed his phone. He opened the door to his car, and closed it after Lindsey got in.

After about ten minutes of silence, Lindsey started to get mad again. "I was fine! I didn't need you guys to make a big fuss out of it. You embarrassed me in front of everyone!"

"Your mom was hysterical when Sara had to drive her home. We were all worried sick over you! Why didn't you check in anyways?" he asked.

"I forgot" she said a little quieter.

"Why didn't you have your cell phone with you? I suppose you forgot that too?" He was angry, but immediately softened when he saw a tear slide down her face. "You had me so worried. I was ready to beat the guy's face in that took you. People do things to little girls, and I was sick about that. Promise me I won't have to come looking for you ever again." He reached over an put an arm around her neck and pulled her in closer.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I just want to go home." She said.

"So ice cream's out of the question?" Greg asked pretending to be disappointed. She shook her head and Greg pulled into the drive through at McDonalds. He ordered two dipped cones and continued to drive to Catherine's house.

Once they got there, Catherine had already heard that she was okay, and was waiting outside. Lindsey jumped out of the car and ran sobbing into her arms. Catherine sobbed right back, and Sara walked over to stand with Greg. With a nod from Catherine, they both got into his car (Sara had driven Catherine's car here) and drove back to the lab.

"Good job." Sara said, smiling.

"It was nothing. Plus, I got ice cream for it!" He took his fingers and smeared the ice cream down Sara's face. She made him make it up to her by buying her ice cream so she could return the favor. They managed to get a few looks when they walked into the crime lab with matching ice cream smears on their faces.

**_END_**


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